Installation for feeding paper reels to a reel stand and method for its operation

ABSTRACT

A pit ( 14 ) along which a moving platform ( 15 ) with a transverse continuous track section ( 16 ) is displaceable is arranged at a reel stand ( 12 ). Feed tracks ( 10, 11 ) and also a plurality of storage tracks ( 17 ) in the form of stub tracks and intended for receiving carriages ( 6 ) each having a prepared paper reel ( 5 ) abut the lateral edge of the pit ( 14 ). Further storage tracks ( 17 ) are arranged on the opposite side of the pit ( 14 ), in each case aligned with one of said storage tracks ( 17 ) or a feed track ( 10, 11 ). During printing, the carriages ( 6 ) parked on the storage tracks ( 17 ) are fed as required via the moving platform ( 15 ) to the reel stand ( 12 ) and the paper reels ( 5 ) are mounted in the axis.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an installation for feeding paper reels to a reel stand, as used in reel cellars of printing works, and a method for its operation.

PRIOR ART

WO 98/12 131 A1 discloses an installation of the generic type which is evidently intended for the reel cellar of an offset printing works having a number of reel stands in succession in the longitudinal direction. In each case a feed track and a removal track parallel thereto, whose distance from the feed track is smaller than the maximum diameter of the reels used and which is therefore suitable only for removing residual reels, leads to the feed side of the pit in which in each case the moving platform coordinated with a reel stand is displaceable. Arranged on the opposite side, as a continuation of said tracks, are stub tracks, but, owing to the small distance, only one of them can be used as a storage track and temporarily receives a carriage with an unpacked reel provided with an adhesion point.

The storage capacity in the immediate vicinity of the reel stand is therefore only small and is not sufficient for receiving all reels required for a print run. A complicated separate intermediate store with a feed means which is likewise complicated is therefore provided for the row of reel stands.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the invention to provide an installation of the generic type in which sufficient intermediate storage capacity is ensured by means which are as simple as possible. This object is achieved by the features in the characterizing clause of Claim 1.

The installation formed according to the invention is intended in particular for gravure printing. It offers the possibility of setting up, in the immediate vicinity of the reel stand, an intermediate store which can be operated with very little effort by means of the moving platform and the carriage, i.e. parts which are in any case necessary. The intermediate store permits breaks for the personnel who are responsible for supplying the reel stand with paper reels.

In addition, it is intended to provide a suitable method for operating an installation according to the invention. This object is achieved by the features of Claim 7.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Below, the invention is explained in more detail with reference to the figures which show only an embodiment.

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of an installation according to the invention and

FIG. 2 shows a section along II-II in FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The gravure printing installation according to the invention which is shown in figures comprises two symmetrically arranged unwinding devices 1 a, 1 b. Leading to both is a centrally arranged straight supply track 2 which follows a longitudinal direction and passes a ramp 3 where a clamp stacker 4 sets down paper reels 5 whose diameter as a rule corresponds to a maximum diameter of, for example, 1.5 m and in any case does not exceed it. A plurality of paper reels may be stored side by side on the ramp 3, the lowermost of which, if required, is rolled onto a carriage 6 on the supply track 2. The supply track 2 leads via an unpacking station 7 to a first turntable 8 and via this to a second turntable 9, where in each case feed tracks 10, 11 which lead to the unwinding devices 1 a, 1 b branch off, following a transverse direction at right angles to the longitudinal direction.

The unwinding device 1 a—the further unwinding device 1 b is a mirror image and is therefore not described separately below—comprises a reel stand 12 having two unwinding axes extending in the transverse direction. A crane 13 which serves for disposing of reel cores is arranged just in front of the reel stand 12. Present on the same side is a rectangular pit 14 which reaches below the reel stand 12 and extends in the longitudinal direction and in which a moving platform 15 is arranged so as to be displaceable in the longitudinal direction. It carries a track section 16 which is continuous in the transverse direction.

The two feed tracks 10, 11 abut at right angles the longitudinal edge of the pit 14, on its feed side facing the supply track 2. Also arranged on the feed side is a plurality of storage tracks 17 which, in the example, are in the form of three stub tracks extending in the transverse direction and emanating from the longitudinal edge of the pit 14, one of which storage tracks is present between the feed track 10 and the reel stand 12 and the remaining are present between the two feed tracks 10, 11. Arranged on the opposite side of the pit 14 are a further five storage tracks 17 in the form of stub tracks emanating from the corresponding longitudinal edge, each of which storage tracks is aligned with one of the feed tracks 10, 11 or with one of the three storage tracks 17 on the feed side. A carriage 6 with an unpacked paper reel 5 provided with an adhesion point can be parked on each of the storage tracks 17. For this purpose, each of the storage tracks 17 is laterally separated from each adjacent storage track or feed track, in each case from middle to middle by a distance which is greater than the maximum diameter, so that mutual hindrance is ruled out.

For constantly supplying the unwinding devices 1 a,b with paper reels 5, e.g., six paper reels are prepared for each of the reel stands 1 a,b, before a break of two hours during work, and are clamped in the reel stand or temporarily stored. The paper reel 5 is transferred in each case from a main store by means of the clamp stacker 4 to the ramp 3, where it rolls downwards towards the supply track 2. Usually, a plurality of paper reels is present side by side on the ramp 3, the lowermost being prevented by a retaining member from rolling off the ramp 3. For transporting a reel further, a carriage 6 is moved to the ramp 3 and the retaining member is briefly deactivated so that the lowermost paper reel rolls onto the carriage 6. This is then moved to the unpacking station 7, where the paper reel is raised and is manually unpacked and provided with an adhesion point.

The carriage with the paper reel then travels, for example, directly via the turntable 8 to the turntable 9, which is then turned, for example, 90° to the left, whereupon the carriage travels via the feed track 10 to the pit 14 and onto the moving platform 15, which is positioned so that its track section 16 is aligned with the feed track 10. Thereafter, either the moving platform 15 is moved to the reel stand 12 and the paper reel 5 is mounted or, if the reel stand 12 is already equipped, the carriage is moved further onto the storage track 17 aligned with the feed track 10, or the moving platform 15 is first moved so that it is aligned with one of the other storage tracks 17 and then the carriage 6 with the paper reel 5 is moved onto it. The moving platform 15 is then moved back to its starting position. In this way, via the feed track 10 and also the feed track 11, all storage tracks 17 or as many of them as required are filled with carriages 6 carrying prepared paper reels 5. Further such carriages can be parked on the two feed tracks 10, 11, if required also two in succession.

During the printing, the reel stand 12 can be continuously provided with fresh paper reels by moving the moving platform 15 to a position in which it is aligned with two storage tracks 17 opposite one another or with one of the feed tracks 10, 11 and the respective opposite storage track 17 and moving a carriage 6 with a paper reel 5 from one of the tracks onto the moving platform 15, whereupon it is moved under the reel stand 12 where the paper reel 5 is picked up directly from the carriage 6 by the empty unwinding axis—the reel core was removed beforehand by means of the crane 13. It is also possible to remove a residual roll 5′, i.e. a partly used-up reel, from the reel stand 12 by bringing a carriage 6 with a residual reel base under the unwinding axis of the reel stand 12 and placing the residual reel on the latter. The carriage 6 with the residual reel base 18 and the residual reel 5′ can then (FIG. 2) be parked on one of the storage tracks 17 or one of the feed tracks 10, 11.

Various modifications of the installation described are of course possible. Thus, it is possible to provide any desired number of storage tracks if the length of the pit permits this. In gravure printing installations, where usually the reel stands are not arranged in rows, the pit can generally be relatively long so that there is space for many storage tracks. The storage tracks may also be longer so that they can receive more than one carriage. This, too, is a question of space.

List of Reference Symbols

-   1 a,b Unwinding devices -   2 Supply track -   3 Ramp -   4 Clamp stacker -   5 Paper reel -   6 Carriage -   7 Unpacking station -   8, 9 Turntables -   10, 11 Feed tracks -   12 Reel stand -   13 Crane -   14 Pit -   15 Moving platform -   16 Track section -   17 Storage track -   18 Residual reel base 

1. Installation for feeding paper reels whose diameter does not exceed a maximum diameter to at least one reel stand having unwinding axes parallel to a transverse direction, comprising a pit which is of constant width and extends away from the reel stand in a longitudinal direction making a right angle with the transverse direction of said reel stand, and a moving platform displaceable in the longitudinal direction in the pit and having a track section which is continuous in the transverse direction from one longitudinal edge of the pit to the other, and comprising at least one feed track leading on a feed side in the transverse direction to the longitudinal edge of the pit, characterized in that at least one storage track leading away from the longitudinal edge of the pit (14) in the transverse direction is arranged on the feed side, and at least two such storage tracks are arranged on a side opposite thereto, in such a way that the lateral distance of each storage track from each other storage track arranged on the same side or feed track is greater than the maximum diameter.
 2. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the storage tracks are in each case in the form of stub tracks.
 3. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that each storage track on the opposite side is aligned with one of the storage tracks on the feed side or with a feed track.
 4. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the feed track or a supply track connected to it leads via an unpacking station.
 5. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a plurality of carriages which are capable of moving on the at least one feed track, the track section, the storage tracks and, where applicable, the supply track.
 6. Installation according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a crane arranged on the reel stand and intended for removing reel cores.
 7. Method for operating an installation according to claim 1, characterized in that the paper reels are in each case unpacked before being fed to the pit, provided with an adhesion point and placed on a carriage, whereupon the carriage is moved via the at least one feed track onto the track section of the moving platform which is aligned with said feed track and, at least in the case of a part of the paper reels, in each case the moving platform is displaced until the track section is aligned with one of the storage tracks and the carriage is then moved onto the storage track and later the moving platform is moved again until the track section is aligned with the storage track and then the carriage is moved onto the track section and the moving platform is moved to the reel stand where the paper reel resting on the carriage can be picked up by the reel stand. 